Become a Legend, Game On!
by Shark XD-Blizzard
Summary: Ninninger AU. Yakumo Katou is the star of J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale, playing alongside his cousin Nagi Matsuo; while his cousins Fuuka Igasaki and Kasumi Momochi work for Frontale. Few weeks before season starts, they find out Fuuka's brother Takaharu is coming back to play for Frontale after three years in Italy. But him and Takaharu getting along is the least of worries!
1. New Season, An Old Teammate

**So this is more of an experimental project, so please don't kill me. I literally only thought of this because in the Kasumi focus episode of Ninninger, Yakumo made a comment that his dream was to play soccer at one point. Because of that, I've had a story plan swirling in my head and I wrote it down. So tell me if this is worth anytime at all or if I should just drop it. Anyhow, I don't own the Shuriken Sentai Ninninger characters or Super Sentai characters, Toei does. Assume they dress in their normal clothing style from the show unless stated otherwise. I also do not own any professional soccer teams of leagues mentioned in this story, the owners of said teams do. I am just borrowing them for my, and maybe your, amusement. Let's go! **

Become a Legend, Game on!

Chapter 1: New Season, an Old Teammate

A crowd of teenage girls cleared the way for a young man in a blue coat, leather pants, and a tie; all the while whispering to each other in awe at who it was. Said boy, Yakumo Katou, smirked for a second as he continued towards his destination. When you are the star 19 year old striker for Kawasaki Frontale of Japan's J1 League, that sort of thing happens a lot when you are out. He didn't stay to see if they wanted autographs though, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Glancing at his phone, he see that he only has 10 minutes to get to the restaurant to meet up with his cousins this cold late January morning. The only reason he was walking was because his apartment was in the same neighborhood as the restaurant.

About 10 minutes later, the four cousins were settling into the booth to begin deciding on their orders. As Yakumo glances over the menu, he hears a high pitched voice speak up. "It is rather nice of Yakumo to bring us here, I doubt I would be able to afford this otherwise even with my part-time job". Yakumo smiled a bit at the speaker, his youngest cousin Fuuka Igasaki. She was an energetic high school student whose skills in photograph had secured her a job taking pictures at Frontale's matches. Her cheerful demeanor also helped with that a little, but she had the skills. "This food is a lot fancier then what dad and I eat at my house". She takes her drinks from the waitress and takes a huge sip as the young women next to her spoke up.

"He knows he owes it to us too, considering he comes over to one of our places to eat at least once almost every week," Kasumi Momochi says as she smirks at Yakumo. She was 19 like he was but younger by four months, she made her living as an equipment manager for Frontale. "You think he would be better at remembering when to go grocery shopping, ain't that right Nagi"?

"Yah Kasumi is right, you have to get on that," Nagi Matsuo replies in a bit of a laugh. He was Frontale's backup goalkeeper, a pretty big accomplishment for a kid who left high school at fifteen to play full time; he is 16 now and older then Fuuka by 2 months. Despite his age, he had acquired plenty of other skills in case it didn't work out. Due to his low salary as a backup, him and Kasumi boarded together to save money. Yakumo shakes his head, knowing they were both right, even if it was a little embarrassing.

"So what is the season like for you guys this year," Kasumi says once their food has been delivered. The food of course was high class, Yakumo had the money so he wanted to treat his cousins every now and then.

"The current outlook is that we will at least finish in the top four of the table," Yakumo says in between bites of his steak. "We are hoping to earn a Champions League appearance this year also, which we get if we are in top three at the end of season. So really though it's the same as last year though, win the league".

"Yah, and maybe the Emperor's Cup while we're at it," Nagi says as he reaches onto Fuuka's plate in an attempt to steal some of her shrimp. Fuuka was not having it however and slapped the boy's hand, causing him to fake a pout as he returned to his food. "Our manager emailed me though last night, and it seems I will be starting during the Emperor's cup matches will be playing in, to keep so that way our normal keep can stay in shape for league," he says with a bit of a smile on his face. He had only gotten onto the field three times last year, usually as clean up duty when Frontale had a rare big league.

"Looks like I will be taking a lot more pictures of you next year Nagi," Fuuka says happily as she gave him a playful shove. She was glad he would be getting more play time, he could prove himself then, so that way when Frontale's current starter left Nagi could take his spot. "And if Yakumo here gets 15 goals like he did last year, he'll have quite a few pictures he could hang on his wall".

Kasumi smiled happily as Yakumo reached across the table and ruffles Fuuka's hair, causing the younger girl to squeal in annoyance. It was nice to see the sibling like relationship that had developed between the two, with Fuuka swiping a scoop of Yakumo's sweet potato's when he was not looking, even though Yakumo did not have to do it. A TV in the restaurant played a news flash broadcast, a new signing for Frontale being the subject. "I didn't know there was a new signing this year for us, did you guys hear anything"? When the rest of the table shook their head at her, "Well then, let's see who exactly the new guy is".

The newscaster on the TV seemed rather surprised by the news, but kept her composure. "As of 30 minutes ago, Kawasaki Frontale has finished a deal to sign Japanese National Takaharu Igasaki from Serie A reigning champions and front runners Parma. More information on this young Midfielder in tonight's evening news, thank you".

Kasumi looked back at her cousins, and found on their faces the feeling that she suspected was etched on her face as well. Takaharu had left nearly five years ago, having signed with a foreign team in high school and he just up and left. Since the day he left, they had not heard a word from him but they had just assumed he was busy just trying to stay on a team in some small league. Hearing that the oldest (he is now 20) was at one playing in Europe was a shock to the boys, sure Takaharu had been good but he never had the greatest work ethic. Kasumi was surprised herself, thinking that a free spirit like him would have stayed abroad. Her main concern though was Fuuka, this was going to be a shock to her. Her older brother had not contacted or her father for nearly five year, not even a letter. And now he was returning with what seemed to be a fanfare of support.

"Takahura, is coming back," Fuuka whispers quietly, but everyone at the table can hear her fine. She repeats this under her breath a few times, causing Yakumo to focus on her in concern. Sure, they were talking about her real brother, but he was protective of her also because he didn't want to see her cheerful disposition destroyed. When she whips her head up though, "I can finally see him again," her happiness causing a smile to break out on his face.

Kasumi smiles at this, happy to see the two's relationship despite all that had happened throughout their lives. "Well, we all know with Takaharu's work ethic it's because he was on a team in Europe, not because he was a star," she says sarcastically, causing Yakumo and Fuuka to begin laughing.

"Guess what Kasumi, you're way off there," Nagi say, having pulled out his tablet. "If you look at his stats in his first club, Saprissa out in Costa Rica, you would be right. He had 10 goals and 18 assist in two years as a bench player their before he is transferred to at the time struggling Italian club Parma, a Serie A side". He double checks the numbers before reading them off, not sure he read them right at first. "He has started all three seasons he has been at Parma, his first season he had eight goals and 20 assists. Parma stunned the world by winning Serie A by one point over powerhouses Inter Milan". The others nod their heads at this seeing the logic that as a midfielder, he was probably tasked with creating scoring opportunities and being a starter allowed him to rack up stats quicker. The fanfare also made more sense now that they knew he had a major title under his belt. With a bit of sigh surprisingly, Nagi continues, "His second year in Parma, they won the title again, running away with the league, 19 points ahead of the next closest team. Taka scored 24 goals and had 20 assists for Parma".

"What, no way," Yakumo exclaims in shock, his fork dropping onto his plate with a clatter. He couldn't believe his slacker of a cousin was a star on one of soccer's biggest stages. Nagi shakes his head and shows Yakumo the stats page, numbers didn't lie in this case.

"If that isn't enough for you, check this out," the young goalkeeper said as he pulled up a video of Parma's highlights from the last full Serie A season, where Parma ran away with the title. Whenever Taka was driving to goal or creating a cross attempt, he flashed speed and finesse that impressed them all. This Takaharu was not the same as the brash 16 year old that left all those years ago. "And if that isn't enough, here are his stats as of last week this Serie A season," Nagi says as he pulls up a new stats page, "He's got 15 goals and 12 assists. He's any clubs dream midfielder right now, looks like Parma let him go in order to sign some big name from England".

"Fanfare was earned then," Fuuka says, Kasumi nodding in agreement. Fuuka knew she was probably going to have to take picture of the, new, arrival but she knew she would deal with that issue when it was in front of her. "It's not like you have to worry Yakumo, with those kinds of stats, he'll probably be an attacking midfielder. You won't be losing your spot, you'll just have to share the spot light a bit more".

"And we all know how good Yakumo is at that," Kasumi says jokingly. When Yakumo stares at her with a look of insulted shock, she giggles a bit. She always enjoyed playing with Yakumo a bit, he acted funny to her when he got relied up. "What, you were a bit of a show off in school"?

"Kasumi, how could you say such a thing," the boy replies in fake shock. He knows she does this to mess with him, but it was a little annoying when she did this in front of the others. "I am a perfect little angel, I have no idea what you are talking about". The four laugh it up at this before eagerly returning to their meals, their stomachs begging for food again.

It was later that night when Yakumo returned to his apartment, glad that he didn't have to do a press conference over the new signing, but he knew once Takaharu arrived it would happen. He could deal with that headache when it came along though. As he opens the door though, a voice says from behind him, "You have an interesting day Yakumo"?

"Yah, I suppose that is one way to put it Mio," the star player replied half-heartedly. When he turned, he saw his neighbors brown hair shining in the hallway light. She lived across the hall from him, but he only saw her in the evenings because she worked as a school teacher; despite only being 21. She always had been a bit of an enigma to him. She was bit of a recluse as he never saw her outside of the apartment complex except when he did a demonstration to students at the school she taught at. He often wondered what she thought of him, but was too shy to ask. "You may have heard about it, but Frontale signed a big name from Europe. Problem for me is that person is a cousin of mine that, I don't exactly work well with".

Mio laughs a little, it wasn't often she saw Yakumo conflicted over something. "So is this the cousin that you told me, was a bit of a slacker before he left the country to play"? When Yakumo shakes his head sadly in agreement, she smiled, glad he was honest. She liked when he was honest, not the façade he had to put up out in public because of his job. "All I can say is this," she says as she draws within a few inches of the younger boy, "Trust your instincts when you deal with him, but also remember people can change over the years. If you can't do that, there will be no way that, you, him, and your other cousin Nagi will not be able to picture your victory". With that statement, she suddenly withdrew back into her apartment. Yakumo stares at her door for a second before shaking his head and heading inside.

Meanwhile in a small café, Nagi and Kasumi are sharing a bowel of ramen and sipping tea at a small table. Both were rather quiet, watching the lone old TV playing the evening news. Even though it wasn't a very fancy establishment, they enjoyed what the owner provided. As they watched the report on Takaharu's escapades in Europe, Nagi turned to his companion, "How do you think the first week when Taka's back is going to end"?

"All I'll say is this Nagi," Kasumi says as she stares at her tea. "If those two don't get over their differences quickly, the team will be effected. What worries me more though is how this could affect Fuuka. Taka may be her brother by birth, but his absence has shown that she is closer to Yakumo. What will happen when she has to pick who to support if those two come to blows, she still hasn't had much experience with family conflict". She takes a large slurp of tea before, "And you know as well as I do that the rest of us don't have much experience in that department either". As the two spoke, the young man at the counter grimaced a bit. He looked up at the picture that hung over the entrance, a reminder all too well of his experience with something similar.

Back at the Igasaki household, Fuuka is going through old photos while her father sleeps. Even though her and her brother had a big age difference, it was not like they did not get along. The photo album was full of photos of the two as kids, Takaharu trying to teach her soccer and her trying to get him to play with her. As it got closer to the time that Takaharu left, the pictures changed. The two were no longer doing things together, he was still playing soccer, alone but occasionally with Yakumo or Nagi, while she was going around with her camera for the first time. The last picture of him in the album was him waving to the camera, boarding the plane that would take him to Costa Rica. After that, the photos were only of her throughout this last 5 year span. "Taka, what is going to happen now," she whispered quietly, "You going to steal the spotlight from Yakumo"?

It was two days later, Yakumo, Nagi, and Kasumi were arriving at Kawasaki's home turf. They were ready for whatever work entailed for them that day, as the season was still two weeks away. After Yakumo parked his car, Kasumi made a beeline for the entrance wanting to get to work as soon as possible. "Is it just me, or is Kasumi only not walking with us anymore from the parking lot to avoid the other guys," Nagi asks his older cousin as the two begin the walk across the parking lot.

"Don't worry about it Nagi, if she has a problem she can handle it herself," Yakumo says as the two are crossing the parking lot. "And if it actually is bad, she will seek help for it. Besides these last weeks are the most intense parts of training before season starts, so she has a lot more work then she has been doing the last few weeks".

The two had reached the sidewalk when they heard the other players making a commotion about something. They two turned and saw a person in red turning his Vespa moped into the parking lot before parking it across from Yakumo's car. When the head under that helmet was revealed to be covered in auburn hair, Nagi and Yakumo knew who it was. Said person, backpack slung over one shoulder of his red parka, hefted the helmet as he began to walk towards the entrance. When he noticed Yakumo and Nagi, he turned and walked up to them, "It has been a long time hasn't it Yakumo, Nagi. Yakumo, I assume you're gonna show me the ropes of this team".

"Good to see you too Taka," Yakumo said in a slight bit of annoyance at the way Takaharu spoke to him. It was like Takaharu was not expecting to be treated as a star, which was going to happen in reality. "I suppose as the answer would be yes, considering before you I was the star here".

Takaharu shakes his head at that comment, "You act as if I want to steal the spotlight from you Yakumo, looks like you didn't change". He turned to Nagi before continuing, "I was watching a game you got to play in last year and noticed you still are using those gloves that you've had since you were in middle school. So before I left I had my old goalie wrangle some of these for me". He pulls a high end pair of goalie gloves from his pack and places them in Nagi's hands. "I don't want to see you get screwed by having no grip".

"Thanks, Taka," the surprised teen said as he felt the gloves materials. He was surprised by the gift, but he also knew that Taka would do this kind of thing on occasion. "Well then," he says as he turns to keep walking, "training is going to start soon so we better head inside".

When they reached the locker room, Takaharu seemed surprised that they already had a locker all ready for him. "Wow and I brought my old practice gear from Parma too," he says as he drops a violet shirt back into his backpack and grabs the blue shirt provided. He throws on the new gear, and Yakumo noticed that Taka's cleats were not real leather like most of the other players in the room. "Well Yakumo," the oldest cousin said as he approached the other two boys, "How exactly does this team work because I haven't seen that many of this team's games"?

"We are a team that relies on our midfield, so you'll have to connect with them rather quick," Yakumo said as the three start to make their way to the field. "I'm usually the only striker, so don't get super happy sending the ball up field. I may be fast but even I have my limits". As they get closer, they begin to realize that they will be the first one out, "Well since we have the time, Nagi can give you a more detailed explanation on the defense since he works with them way more than I do though".

"You make it sound like our defense is some complicated scheme," Nagi said as the four close in on the end of tunnel. "It's really just the basic 4 man defense, but our coach likes to have our two backs push up high on the field, so as a result we have two defensive midfielders and only Yakumo up front". As the three walk onto the field, Nagi gestures to the only other person there at the moment, "You may know one of our equipment managers".

When he approached the girl, he received a big shock. "Kasumi," Takaharu exclaims in surprise as he see the oldest girl in the family handing him a ball. He hadn't expected her to work here, but he knew he had not exactly kept in contact with the others. "I assume people still think he is your boyfriend," he asks, receiving a nod. "People need to get stuff through their hard heads sometimes. Thanks for the ball," he says before he kicks the ball towards Nagi. When his back is turned, a small smile forms on the young women's face.

Nagi catches the ball with ease, amazed at how much more grip he had with these new gloves already. "I should also probably give you a heads up, our fans are expecting a top three finish from us this year. That and maybe the Emperor's Cup while we're at it. Which is nice because coach said he is going to start me during those matches". As the three began to pass the ball around he continued, "Just a heads up, our coach is kind of hard when it comes to training. So this week is going to make you sore".

"You make it sound like I didn't experience that back at Parma," Taka says as he starts to pick up the pace as some of the other players begin to trickle out with some of the other staff on the team. "You think I made that team starting my second year, you don't know nothing. Our coach expected us to defend our crown, so we started training weeks before other teams. I think I can handle it though".

"Even though I may be a little harsh about this, I'm not against playing with you if it seems like that," Yakumo says as the three fire passes to each other at a fast rate. "It's just I don't need you going all daredevil and flashy all the time. We want to win, but we can't win with one guy alone, trust me on this one okay".

As the coach yells for them to gather round, Takaharu flicked the ball suddenly into Nagi's hands. "I understand man, but I'll pull out some of those moves if I have too. Don't worry though, I'll find a way to get the ball to you when it is necessary".

When the players gather round the coach, he begins to speak gruffly, "We are expected to win this league this year, so don't think training is going to be easy these last two weeks. I want to see you all prove that managements hope in having only made one signing pay off". He looks over and notices the cousins standing off together. "Yakumo, Nagi, seems like you go close with our new teammate rather quickly"?

Taka felt a small smile appear on his lips, and thought for a second about resisting but he couldn't help it. This was too good of an opportunity to just let go of just to be nice. Out of the corner of his eye though, he notices that Yakumo is smiling a bit also, "What the heck Yakumo, I thought you would have told them already"?

Yakumo couldn't help a smile either at the moment, even though this wasn't exactly what he expected on the first day, he supposed he could enjoy this, "I think it just slipped my mind. It looks like it slipped Nagi's also".

"It's alright, I got this," Nagi says cheekily as their teammates stared at them in confusion. It had been a while since they could joke around together but this was a good start, "Didn't you know, Takaharu is our cousin"?

The three, along with Kasumi with a bit of giggle, begin to laugh at the shocked faces the received from both the other players and the staff. The coach was shocked, having two players related was rare enough, but three players and one of the staff was a whole new thing. He shook his head and then took command, "Alright fun time is over, 8 laps around the field to start"! The players complied, the three cousins near the head of the group. This was a new season now, and they were preparing for their newest adventure.

**Yeah, so this project may never take off. Unless my writers block for all my other projects that are not finished continues. May just end engine high in three chapters because some of my idea for it fell through. But Gokaiger vs. Shinkenger is on hold along with the Goseiger story. Anyhow, tell me what you think, and yes I messed with the personalities slightly. Anyhow, I'll see yah next time on some story.**


	2. Lightning Sparks, Preperation Time

**So apparently this story is somewhat good, so it gets another chapter as a result. Also writers block on other stories gives me the time to work on this one. This is a fun concept for me, been playing soccer most of my life and a fan nonetheless. Anyhow time for the usual, I don't own Ninninger or other Sentai franchises mentioned, Toei does. I also do not own any Soccer franchises or competitions mentioned, their respective owners do. I am just repurposing them for my, and the audience's, entertainment. Let's go. **

Become a Legend, Game on!

Chapter 2: Lighting Sparks, Preparation Time

After a hard physical endurance workout which included cone drills, core exercises, strength tests, and other assorted warm ups; it was time to get down and dirty on the ball. It was the predicted starters on offence verses the expected defenders plus the main sub. The coach threw Takaharu into the offense, since the boy had already shown he was miles ahead of the majority of team, having been in the heart of the Italian season already. The objective of the current scrimmage was simple; the offense was on a breakaway and the defense had to try to stop them from scoring. The coach threw the ball into the air and it was on with Yakumo heading the ball to one of the wings.

As they moved in on the defense, the ball was passed from the wing back to Yakumo; who began to try to dash between the defense. The first two times, this succeeded and gave them the goal, but afterwards whenever they tried that it always ended the same. The defender would fool Yakumo in to dribbling with the outside of his foot, only to another defender come in and swipe it from the boy. After a few attempts by the wings to cross the ball in only to overshoot it, Yakumo began to get frustrated. He knew that this offense should be doing better than this. Sure Takaharu wasn't doing much, but his passes that he sent off were on target, if a bit too strong for the other midfielders to handle.

Yakumo was dribbling the ball down the left sideline when he heard from the central part of the feld, "Yakumo, you need to pass back now". Yakumo turn and sees that Takaharu has sizeable space between him and the defender assigned to him, but Yakumo was unsure Taka would react fast enough in order to shake the man once he got the ball. Realizing he had no other options, he fired off a pass to Takaharu. He watched as the defender ran at Taka, now dreading that he passed the ball because the defender would take right out from Takaharu's feet. However, as soon as Takaharu got the ball, he was angling himself so that his back was to the opponent and goal while holding the ball away from the defender. He begins to inch forwards to the left while moving towards the goal, the man on him keeping extremely close every step. Takaharu leaned towards the left and then to the right for a few seconds each, the defender following his movements. However the defender assumed that he was going to lean towards the left again, but Taka had been waiting for that mistake. He flicked the ball to his right and spun around the defender with ease, taking the ball towards the goal at a fast pace. Another defender got in the ball's path, but Takaharu deftly chips the ball over the defender before he past the man. As the ball falls to his feet, he kicks the ball with ease and buries it in the back of the net; the goalie had barely left his feet when the ball hit netting.

As he runs back towards the coach, he gives a rather innocent grin to the man. "So is that what you want coach"? He wasn't sure what to do with this new coach, considering that he was used to a completely different style from what he had seen and what Yakumo had told him. He hoped he had at least impressed him.

The coach had a small smile on his face, which made Takaharu hopeful he made a good impression. The man spoke after a chuckle, "Not going to lie kid that was a pretty good set of moves. Makes it easy to see why you were successful at Parma. Pay a bit more attention though, you had a man wide open as you made the turn. You may be good, but you need to not get hot headed at times".

Takaharu scratches his head sheepishly, clearly embarrassed about what the coach had said. "Yah, I didn't notice that coach, my mistake. I'm use to a different way of doing things, but I think I will adjust soon". Yakumo meanwhile is glaring at his cousin, distaste seeping through his thoughts a bit. He hated how Taka could be so jubilant about the criticism and not see how much he was going to be worshipped here by the other players. It honestly annoyed him, but he had to give Takaharu credit, that wasn't a maneuver he himself could pull easily. Nagi meanwhile is still in shock, surprised that Taka had beaten the starting keeper so easily, a man who had been a professional for nearly 10 years. Nagi was now beginning to wonder how much Taka had really changed these past five years.

It was about an hour later, and the team had moved into the weights room. Kasumi was returning from the supplies room with towels when Takaharu called to her, "Oi Kasumi, come over here for a bit please". She delivers her package before coming up to Takaharu and Yakumo, who had been spotting the young midfielder at the bench press. As he began his set, he inquires, "So how has life been for you all without me, soccer aside"?

"Well Fuuka is in high school now, she's the only one still in since Nagi plays here. They both though are rather social with people their age which is good. Apart from that their personalities are similar to what they were when you left," she replied quickly. The youngest two in the family still innocent for the most part despite their age. Sure Nagi while on the team had heard of many less then clean activates in adult life, but he never really enjoyed talking about them or hearing about them. Fuuka meanwhile was for the most part was a typical high school girl, even if she was a bit clumsy. "Fuuka does photography for us though on occasion, so you may see her soon for the press conference that they will be hosting because of your arrival".

"She's pretty good too," Yakumo says as he watches Taka pump the weighted bar. He had encouraged her about a year after Taka had left to continue her passion, and she had taken his advice in strides. "Your dad still works so much that she spends most of her time alone when she's home unless one of us comes by your old place".

Takaharu pulls himself out from under the bar to switch places with Yakumo, a bit surprised by how little the youngest two had changed. "Really, well seems like it is going well for them then. With you two looking after them, they are probably fine". He knew that Fuuka had always been close to Kasumi and Nagi looked up to her and Yakumo, so he assumed that they had been able to handle any problems in his absence. "So what about you two," the young man inquired as Yakumo was beginning his set, "Anything important that I need to know happened to my favorite cousins while I was away"?

"Well I'm happy with life for the most part," Kasumi answers as Yakumo grunts between reps. "This has been my job for the past two years, and it has not been a bad experience all things considered. It definitely helped out with money, soon I will be able to pay for classes". Compared to the other two when it came to the sciences, Kasumi was a genius who could have easily gotten in the college of her choice if it was not for the fact that testing price had increased a bit. By the time that it came down, she had decided that she would wait until the fall season to enter school again. "I share my apartment with Nagi, but it honestly feels like I am living with a friend so it is not all bad".

Yakumo slides out and smiles at the look of joy at the news on Takaharu's face as he places a hand on Kasumi's shoulder, eliciting a smile out of the young women. Despite how he felt a rivalry with the older boy, he didn't hate him; Takaharu may be a bit of a hothead but he was a kind soul despite that. "I've been having a good time here at Frontale, I have had at least 10 goals every season and got a nice place to live out of it. It has been the same really though since you left, still am who I am today. Been keeping an eye on your sister and helping her out since you have been gone, hope you don't mind"?

"No problems man, someone needed to look after her," Takaharu replied as he helped Yakumo change out the weight plates. He knew that someone would take over for him when he left, and he was glad it was someone in the family at least. "That's something I did worry about no lie, but looks like my worries were way off. Looks like we will also get talk a lot more than I thought we would coming back to Japan". The young man held out his fist before declaring, "Looks like the three of us are back in action again". Kasumi and Yakumo both smile happily as they both hold out a fists and the three's fits knock together as they recreated their old symbol of unity.

It was about an hour later when the four walked out into the parking lot after a long day's work. "Well that was pretty fun," Takaharu exclaims loudly as he stretched his arms up in the air as the group made their way towards where Yakumo was parked. As they stood about, he inquired, "So what are you all doing now that practice is over"?

"We were planning to go meet Fuuka at the park near her school," Kasumi answers as Nagi and Yakumo threw the threes' stuff into the car. "You should tag along you know, she deserves to know you have arrived already," she says as she stares hard at the young man. She knew that Takaharu would eventually go to see his sister, but he could get distracted easily on occasion.

"Alright sure, might as well because I have nothing else planned," he answered as he threw his helmet on quickly. He looks over shoulder and yells, "I'll follow you guys there, probably forgot the way after all these years". He grins at the young women in front of him before turning and hoping on his own ride. Kasumi cracks a small smile as she gets into the car, sure he could get a bit over excitable at times but she knew that was just him. Takaharu was also thinking as he followed Yakumo's car out of the parking lot and away. He could tell that things had changed a good amount since he had left, but some part of the past remained. He needed to see his sister before he thought about exactly how much had changed.

The four arrived at the park after about 15 minutes, having not encountered much traffic to their surprise. School had gotten out a while before they had left, so when they arrived at the park Fuuka was already their saying goodbye to her friends. When she turned and saw the four, she immediately focused on the other three as she was not used to seeing her brother anymore. "Hey guys, how was practice today for you all," she asks as she engulfs Kasumi and Nagi into a hug of joy.

"It wasn't that bad, we are just a little sore," Yakumo replies as the younger Igasaki turned and smiled at her brother figure. "We are ready for this season to start that's for sure," he says as he patted her on the head in appreciation. When she looks up at him however, he gives her a smirk that was threatening on a full blown smile. Motioning to behind him and the others he declares, "There is someone though who is quite glad to see you with us however. Why don't you go say hello"?

Fuuka was confused but complied and looked behind the older boy to see who it was. Upon seeing her brother standing there she ran to him, "Taka"! She runs and engulf her brother in a tight hug that he returns gently. She looks up at him, annoyance and sadness mixed in her eyes and voice. "I've been waiting five years, with no contact from you at all for that entire fucking time," she yells at him before she buries her teary face into his chest. It was rarity that she would swear, so everyone knew this was how she really felt. As she felt her brother pull her close, she blubbered out, "Promise me you will never, ever, do something like that again".

Takaharu kept a hand on his sister's shoulder as he lowered himself so that the two's faces were level. When she looked up at him, he reached up and wipes a tear off her cheek. "Fuuka, I'm back and intend to stay for a while, so don't worry about that. I'll find some way to make this up to you alright," he states with honesty flowing through his voice. When she gave him a small nod he says, "Good now drop the frown, it doesn't suit you".

As the two siblings embraced, Kasumi watches the two with a keen eye. She was glad to see that despite the years of separation, animosity appeared to have not grown between the two. It would make having Taka back a bit easier. Despite the fact that he was older than her, she still felt the need to protect him and help him whenever possible. The feelings were mutual among the older three, so this was a good sign in her book.

When the five had found a table to sit at, Kasumi decided to make an inquiry about the future. "So who is going to be the first team to appear in Frontale's crosshairs"? She knew that Yakumo and Nagi knew the league almost like they did their homes, but Takaharu had experience that could help find flaws in their judgements. She and Fuuka could just bounce ideas off each other to help them out

"We play Vissel Kobe at home to start our season," Yakumo states as he presses his hands together as he begins to think. He knew the league pretty well, but he didn't know a lot about the teams this year. "They were top half of the table last year, but they lost some of their talent to teams out in Europe. From what I could gather though, they seem to have built a more defensive team then they had last year".

"Defensive can be interpreted in different ways," Nagi pointed out as he stretched his sore arms out, nearly clipping the Fuuka's head in the process. Ignoring the indignant grunt coming from the girl, "They could be a team that has their midfield more focused on defense while the strikers are the offensive production. Or they could have a just focused more on defensive tactics during the offseason". Fuuka made her growing annoyance apparent by putting her cousin into a headlock, Nagi's arms failing wildly trying to pull her off him.

Kasumi decided to throw her money into the pot on the whole issue as well, while Takaharu went to the other side of the table to pry his sister off of the goalkeeper. "That would mean that either they have plenty of confidence in their strikers, or they don't trust their own goalie's skill level. Apparently their predicted starting goalie has never made a professional start before, so they are adjusting for that weakness".

Takaharu returns to his seat after rescuing Nagi from his sister's grasp, looking back on his time in Italy. "That might not necessarily be a bad idea. During my second year in Italy, Verona employed a similar idea because a lot of their players were speedsters. Counter attacks will be null and void against them because they can get back quickly. Our best bet would be to do a lot of passes and hope that our defense could hold long enough to get a goal". He looks up at Nagi to address the defensive player of the group, "Defending corners from them is going to be hard because they will push a lot of people up every time".

Fuuka decides that she was bored of the tactics talk, deciding that this was talk for the locker room. "Come on you guys, that game is two weeks away," she declares in determination, bored of tactics time. "We are all back together again, we should be having a good time not talking about work. I'm sure Taka has good stories to tell us about Italy, don't you"? Her voice clearly showed she would be disappointed if he didn't.

When the oldest began to protest the idea, Kasumi reached around Yakumo and began to ruffle the boy's hair. "She's right Takaharu, you do owe us a few stories since you have been gone for so long. You probably got to see a lot of cool things out in Italy. You are in one of the oldest places in Europe and one of the fashion capitals of the world". She slips off her seat and stands behind him, whispering in his ear softly, "I know you have to have some pictures of you being fashionable on your phone".

Takaharu's cheeks quickly began to look like apples at that that statement, knowing the truth behind it. When the others look at him with curiosity, he tries to drop the blush as best he can but Kasumi's giggles were not helping his case. "Fine, I'll spill on some things I did while out in Parma, but I'm not gonna tell you all everything". Seeing that this idea satisfied everyone, including Kasumi and Fuuka who were hanging on every word, he began. "Alright, so at Kasumi's request, yes fashion was a big deal out in Italy, especially since I was a starter. So it was about a month after my first season had started and a few teammates decided that my sweatshirt and shorts look wouldn't cut it out there. So we went to downtown," he says as story time began.

It was late that evening when Yakumo returned after dropping the others off and making a grocery run for the week. He was going back to lock his door when he glanced up at Mio's door and a though crossed his mind. He had not made dinner yet and it would be nice to have some company for once. He goes up and knocks, but after a minute of waiting it was clear she wasn't home. Yakumo retreats inside his place and flops down on his bed in frustration. He would be lying if he said she didn't intrigue him. He did not know how to approach her though. "Who says she would be into a star like me anyhow," he mumbles before hauling himself up to cook something.

Meanwhile at the café that Nagi and Kasumi frequented, Mio was enjoying a meal of her own. "Hiakri, when did you know that someone liked you when we were younger," she asked the man behind the counter.

Hikari Nonomura, the owner of the café, looked at his childhood friend with concern. The two had grown up on the coast outside of Tokyo, so he knew that when they were younger she was not a big fan of romance. "What's going on, I thought you were going to focus on your career right now"?

Mio shakes her head, unsure herself of why this had come about. "My neighbor, Yakumo, is always trying to talk to me when we do see each in the hall between our doors. He tries to strike up a conversation on occasion but it tends to die pretty quickly". She looks up at him, clearly out of her league with this, "Is that what is happening, or am I just imagining things"?

"I'm pretty sure you are just imaging things," Hikari says as he picks up a cup and washes it absentmindedly. "Do you know his last name, I could see what I could find out about him"? Upon receiving a no from the girl, he sighs. "Look, don't worry about it unless he starts to become a bit more talkative alright, don't want you getting hurt okay"?

Takaharu threw his bag on his small table as he entered his apartment after making his own run to the grocer down the block. He didn't need much right now, just enough to last him the night and morning before he could make time for a big run. His cell phone began to ring, the caller revealed to be Fuuka. "Hey sis, what do you need," he says as he moves the few boxes containing his few personal possessions to the wall so we would have room to walk near his bed. "Fuuka I'm fine, I got a place before I arrived and I'm here now".

Meanwhile back the Igasaki's house, Fuuka frowns at her brother's answer. Sure he was an adult now, but they had room back at their home. "Taka, today is your first day back, you need to come over so you can say hello to dad". She hears him grumble out an answer and her headache grows. "Look I can cook you food if you come over tonight," she says in exasperation. Of course her brother would be more focused on his stomach at a time like this.

After a bit of back and forth, Takaharu gives in to his sister's demands. "Alright, I'll come by in the morning before you head off to school," he says before the two end their conversation. He grabs the premade sandwich from his bag before flopping down on his bed. "Well this should be interesting," he says between bites, "Yakumo is now the brother and Kasumi wants to play my little sister. Hopefully all this superstar treatment stops, just hope that no one expects me to be this team's savior. I wanna be the best, but I'm not going to try and do this alone though. I owe them a lot, so I should help them reach their dreams".

**Well that is a wrap for now, sorry if it is a bit choppy but I wasn't sure how to end it off. Anyhow, I am kind of enjoying this story so I will probably work on it for a while. So anyhow, expect the next chapter for this story in a bit; finals have come and I will be busy for the next two weeks. So this is Shark XD-Blizzard and I will see you next time.**


	3. First Engage, the Wrappings off

**So we are at this adventure again. I am actual kind of becoming attached to this little side project. It's probably due to the fact that soccer is on my mind a lot lately, but that's not important at the moment. As usual I don't own the rights for Ninninger and other Senati series, Toei does. Also I do not own the rights to the Soccer teams or competitions mentioned in the story, the respective team's owners and leagues do. So let's get going. **

Become a Legend, Game on!

Chapter 3: First Engage, the Wrappings off

Two weeks had passed and it was time for the season to start, and Kawasaki Frontale would open at home against Vissel Kobe on a mild February Saturday around noon. Yakumo was in the tunnel that led out to the field, waiting for the walk out. As he was tugging at his socks, he felt someone kneel in front of him. "You know if you forget your own tape you can just ask me or someone else for some," Kasumi dictates in mild annoyance as she wraps athletic tape on his ankles. The answer she received was a mumbled one, but it contained no harshness so she was fine with it. As she gets up, she gestures down the tunnel to a familiar figure, "Looks like he is ready to get this show on the road". Takaharu was bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly not enjoying the wait.

Despite the rather mild weather, Takaharu was wearing the long sleeved version of Frontale's jersey compared to everyone else wearing short sleeve form; he cited personal preference as why he did this. Yakumo nodded towards the other boy as the two young adults watched the oldest tug at the end of his sleeve. "He's nervous because he wants to get off to a good start. I understand that feeling, I just chose not to show it". He begins to walk towards the older boy, Kasumi right behind him. "Hey Takaharu, calm down will you, the game starts soon and I need your head in the game".

"Sorry man, I'm just a bit hyper that's all," Takaharu replied as he began to stop bouncing around. He knew it would be a huge lie if denied it, but the temptation was there. He had felt it when he got his first start in Parma and no matter how many times he started, he always had it come back. "It's just that no matter how many starts I make, the feeling doesn't change. It's going to be hot," he finishes with a yell, the click of a camera sounding off as he reached high into the air with both arms.

"Well, well, to send this to my coworkers to use or not," Fuuka say jokingly as she and Nagi walked up to the others. "It's a cute photo to be fair, but pregame photos aren't my assignment today so you are lucky for now," she says with a smirk as Nagi cracks up at the look of annoyance on Yakumo's face. "Well, I'll make you guys look good today, got to go set up," she says with a small wave as she heads out of the tunnel.

As Nagi followed her out to get ready for the starter's walk out, Kasumi addresses Yakumo and Takaharu as the rest of the two teams begin to file out. "Alright you two, don't let your little rivalry get in the way of working together, okay," she says as she puts her hands on her hips. When both boys give her a look of confusion, she huffs, "Really now, you two have been at it since Takaharu has arrived. Whenever you guys are on the field at practice, you are gunning to outdo each other. Just put it off for the game alright," she asks, staring at both boys intensely.

"We will try to avoid that Kasumi," Yakumo states as he catches the Captain's band the coach tosses him. As they lined up, he addressed his older cousin quietly, so Kasumi did not hear, "Just remember, nothing super flashy alright? We need to get off to a good start before that can happen".

Takaharu, the third one in line behind Yakumo and the goalie, shook his head in annoyance at being told this again. This was probably the tenth time he had been told this. "Dude, I heard you the first five time you brought this up. I get it, so stop bringing it up". The response he gets is a grumble, but the walk out starts before he can come up with a response.

When the whistle blew for the game to start, Vissel Kobe had the ball. As soon as the crossed the line onto Frontale's side of the field, Takaharu was the first to pounce on the ball. He swiped the ball from his opponent as the older man tried to spin around him, deftly avoiding another opponent as he drifts forward before firing the ball up field to a winger. The winger received the ball on the run, speeding down the sideline towards the corner. Takaharu drifted towards his right as he waited for the winger's route to change. As the winger began to approach the boundary line, Takaharu called for the pass. As the pass came to him, he saw Yakumo was waiting at the edge of the goal box for the chance to strike. When the pass came to his feet, Takaharu wandered forward a bit before deftly chipping the ball up and over the line. Yakumo leapt as the ball soared towards him and deftly tapped if towards the net. The crowd roared in joy as the ball flew into the back of the net, the majority of Yakumo's teammates surrounding him in celebration. Takaharu watches from afar as he pumps his fist, Frontale lead Kobe 1-0.

After that for the next 40 or so minutes it was a back and forth affair. Both teams would spend a good chunk of time moving the ball deliberately up field, but the result was always the same. Takaharu or one of Kobe's central midfielders would lob the ball into the box, but both goalies were keeping the game close with high class saves. This deadlock remained until the dying minutes when Kobe struck back. Takaharu had easily stolen the ball from one of Kobe's strikers and fired it up field to a winger. The winger as he ran pushed the ball too far ahead of him and it was swiped by one of Kobe's centerbacks, who blasted it across the field and over Takaharu's head. The midfielder who received it heads it into the center of the goal box where Kobe's other striker was waiting for the cross. He easily heads it past Frontale's goalie, the games was now tied 1-1.

Mere seconds after the whistle for restart sounded, the half was brought to an end. Both teams trot into their respective locker rooms, Frontle in distress over giving up a goal so easily while Kobe was jubilant about tying the game up. When they had reached the locker room, Kasumi noticed that Takaharu was standing apart from the rest of the team in the locker room, staying near the door. "Why are you here by yourself," she asks quietly. She know he's holding back, but knows he'll tell her why probably.

"Yakumo won't let me go all out on the field," Takaharu replies with a bit of a sigh before accepting the water bottle she had offered him. It was nice to talk with her about this stuff, she was more level headed due to less adrenaline pumping in her body. He was happy to take the lead so early, it kept him and the others on their toes in his opinion. "He acts as if I'm going to ignore my defensive responsibilities and go purely on the offensive because I'm the team's 'Star Player'. He needs to realize that sure, I like to be the star every now and then, but my time in Parma has taught me that I need to play defensive as well and work with the rest of the team as well".

Takaharu's comments elicit a small smile on the young women's face. Kasumi was glad that his time abroad had taught him a bit of maturity. Sure the fiery go-getter that he was a child was still in front of her, but he had learned a bit while abroad so he wasn't just blindly jumping into things all the time anymore. "Maybe that is the case," Kasumi responds pointedly to the boy, grabbing his attention. "But remember Taka, that's something he is assuming will happen. You have to prove him wrong starting today by being the experienced professional that manager expects you to be due to your years in Parma". She pats him on the shoulder before shooing him towards the rest of the team. As he passes by her though she whispers, "I believe in all of you though, don't worry".

The manager had begun to go over small changes for the next half when Takaharu rejoined the rest of the team. "Alright, so will not be having anyone subbed out as of right now," the man said gruffly looking around at his players, some disheartened by giving up a goal so easily while others were simply tired. "You all are playing well, despite that one small lapse of defense in the box. If we keep playing the way we do we can get the three points we need. Takaharu is swapping with our two defensive center mids, so we will have two attacking central mids and just him as our defensive midfielder in the center". Glancing at the young captain he states, "Yakumo, you need to lead the charge into the box. I know your opposition is a bit bigger then you are but you need to fight your way through. Alright boys, let's get rolling and get that win," the man finishes with a roar. His team agreeing with a roar of their own.

As the team walks out to head back on the pitch, Kasumi spots Yakumo drags Takaharu off to the side for a minute. Her eyes narrow as Yakumo's expression of annoyance as he spoke to Takaharu, probably some reiteration of what he had told the boy before the game. Her annoyance was sedated somewhat when she sees that Takaharu isn't being confrontational about it like Yakumo. He was keeping his cool, simply responding to his cousin's demands with a nod was effective enough, preventing a possible conflict from occurring. As Yakumo leaves, Takaharu sighs and stares at the ground for a moment before following. Kasumi quickly catches up to the older boy and tugs at his sleeve in worry. "You alright after that, it looked a bit uncomfortable to me"?

"It's nothing much," Takaharu says as the two reach the exit of the tunnel. "He just said the same speech of how I shouldn't be flashy out there on the field because we need a good start". He turns and surprises her with a smile however when he continues speaking though, "Its fine Kasumi, I can handle this though. You heard coach, he's moving me back to my normal spot in the midfield, so I be able to play my normal style now. It is defensive, which will keep Yakumo happy, but I can still move up into the attack every now and then. So don't worry yourself, I'll follow your advice though," he finishes with a smirk while flicking Kasumi's forehead. Kasumi smiles and giggles in fake embarrassment before the two jog out of the tunnel before the second half began.

When the second half got underway, the shift of the central mids was immediately showing its worth. Takaharu's defensive style of waiting until the opponent was close to him before going for the steal was more effective than the original two playing defensive mid as it would cause the opposition to get more overzealous on the attack due to pressure not always coming right away. This kept the pressure off of Frontale's goal quite a bit, allowing for the defenders to push up the field a bit more. It was at the hour mark of the match, 60 minutes played, that Takaharu struck. Kobe had won a corner and Frontale's manager had ordered Yakumo to head into the box to defend as well since Kobe had sent their two fullbacks up to try and break the deadlock in Kobe's favor. As the kick came in, it drifted up towards the top of the box, with Takaharu pushing it with his chest out of the box and away from the opposition. He recovers quickly and sprints after the ball, taking it up the field at an intense speed.

Takaharu's speed at full blast everyone, even Yakumo and the coaching staff, off guard. He pushed down the pitch so quickly that Yakumo had barely passed the midpoint of Frontale's half when Takaharu had reached the center of the field. Kobe's two remaining defenders closed on him in an effort to buy their goalie some time to get back, but it didn't buy the man much time. He pauses for a second, bouncing the ball back and forth between his feet. When each defender leaned in the wrong direction, he spins around them, causing their legs to collapse beneath them when trying to turn back in time. After that moment, he sprinted down the field towards goal with everyone but Vissel's goalkeeper behind him. As he entered the goal box, Vissel's keeper ran and dove at Takaharu's feet intent on taking the ball out from the midfielder's feet. Takaharu was not having it though and right as the goalkeeper got close to him, Takaharu deftly flicks the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net.

"Now that was hot," Takaharu roars in jubilation as he runs towards the corner flag, before he jumps into the air and pumps his fist. As he turns around though, he is swarmed by a majority of his teammates who congregate him on his skill. Yakumo stands far from the team, digesting what had happened on the field up until this point. He however is also being watched, Kasumi wondering if Yakumo was angry or impressed by their cousin's work.

The last 30 minutes of the match was when Frontale asserted its dominance over Kobe. Takaharu in addition to his defensive dominance from before, becoming a distributor when Frontale went on the offensive. Yakumo would go on to score two more goals, with assists from Takaharu. This plus an unassisted goal from each winger lead to the score at the final whistle being 6-1 Frontale. Safe to say that the home crowd was happy with the result.

About an hour later the five cousins walk out into the parking lot, the oldest three bickering as they walked. "You totally are an attention seeker," Kasumi says as she twirls around Yakumo joyfully. She and Takaharu had decided to get on the teen for his hat trick celebration, though Kasumi would have done it on her own anyhow. "You did a flip for crying out loud to celebrate your third goal"!

"Why does that make me an attention seeker," Yakumo whines as Nagi and Fuuka begin to laugh heartily at his discomfort. "Takaharu jumped in front of half the camera people, including Fuuka, screaming at the top of his lungs. How am I the attention seeking one"?

"Because Yakumo," Takaharu responds jokingly, "I didn't turn to a bunch of girls in the crowd and wink at them while brushing my hair out of my eyes. After celebrating, I let myself pretty much get gang tackled by the team. So yes my fine cousin, you do seek attention".

"You know what, none of you get a ride in my car," Yakumo states in exasperation. Sometimes these jokes were annoyed him a lot more than his cousins realized. The younger two weren't bad about it, but Kasumi and Takaharu could gang up on him like it was second nature. "That means you're all walking because Taka can't take you on his ride".

"But Yakumo, you said we were having lunch at your place," Fuuka fake whines as she pulls herself close to the teen's arm. Takaharu sees this out of the corner of his eye and has to suppress a smile. He was glad that despite his absence, she did not lose a brother. This made him feel a little better about that situation, but it was not put to rest. He still had one thing to look for to see if he was right however.

"Fine, you guys can ride with me there," Yakumo says in fake exasperation as he unlocks his car remotely, as the youngest two cheer and race towards the car to pack their stuff away. He shakes his head before picking up the pace slightly. He was in a decent mood to be honest. Sure Takaharu had decided to put on a show when he got his goal, but he did his job as a midfielder when it came to passing and defense.

The five quickly drove towards the building Yakumo lived in, the three other teens in the car singing much to the driver and their moped bound relative's amusement. None of them were very good, but it passed the time until they parked at the building. When the group came to the door, Yakumo takes his time while saying, "Look, my neighbors for the most part don't like it too loud so don't get over excited okay"?

To say that Yakumo's apartment was nice was an understatement. It was all one room for the most part, except for the bathroom and a small pantry that were separate from the main room. The kitchen area consisted of a stove topped oven, a small sink, dishwasher, and an island with a grill and small sink as well. The majority of the room was a bit more furnished for living in. A large flat screen TV was mounted on the wall in front of a large leather sofa on the right side of the room. Next to the TV was a small but densely packed bookshelf that was a bit worse for wear. On the left side in the corner right before the large window that overlooked the cityscape was his bed, blue sheets adorning it like expected. On its left was a fancy wooden dresser, lacquered bamboo with chromed handles. In the middle of the window was Yakumo's desk, made in a similar fashion to his dresser. In the middle of the room sat a circular pine table with five stools.

"Alright all I have for a decent meal right now is chicken and pasta so I should start on that right now; Kasumi, Taka, help me with this," the units owner says as everyone puts their shoes and bags away. The older three descend upon the cooking area, while the younger two plop down on the sofa and throw on the news channel.

"Yakumo, your mom is on the news," Fuuka yells from the sofa while she and Nagi are glued to the screen. The two were watching some celebrity news program, and since his mom was a popular fashion designer, she would pop up on the show from time to time. "Looks like she has come back to finish a new line. Which means that you'll be receiving a call very soon from her about it".

"I don't think Yakumo misses his 'Mummy' that much," Nagi says devilishly before he starts to tickle his younger cousin's sides, causing her to double over in laughter from that and what he said. Yakumo glares at him for a moment as Kasumi giggles next to him and Takaharu snorts very loudly while attending to the pasta. That stupid name for his mother would haunt him forever wouldn't it?

"You guys know that she can get anyone she wants right," Kasumi states as she cleans the table top off. She knew Yakumo's mom pretty well, her and Takaharu spent a lot of time at his childhood home as kids. "You know that Yakumo's going to be the first person she call to model if it is colored gold however," referencing the boy's hatred of said color. It stemmed from an incident during their early days in grade school, but now it was just something to annoy him with for fun.

"All of you quiet now", Yakumo says in exasperation. That stupid incident would never leave him alone at all would it? That was not the reason though why he did help his mother with her work, but he was fine with them believing otherwise. "Nagi, do you remember when coach said we have to come in tomorrow"?

"Noon, but we don't need to worry about that right now," Kasumi says as she watches Yakumo select the herbs that would be used to cook the chicken with. No need to be serious right after a victory in her opinion. It was bad for their health from what she had seen.

The door bell rung, shocking everyone in the room. "I got it, probably just someone wanting sugar or something like that. Kasumi put the spices on the chicken please," the teen says as he walks towards the door. When he opened the door, he received a visit he didn't expect. "Mio, it's a surprise to see you," he says in shock over his neighbor being at the door.

"Hey, Yakumo, I just dropped by to see if we could talk," Mio says slowly, unsure of how to approach the idea. They never really done that before, just sit down and talk. Then again, she had also just found out her neighbor was one of Japan's biggest soccer stars. Does not exactly make it easy for her to be casual with him.

"Uh that be fine," Yakumo says, not sure what to say. "I'm surprised that you want to talk now, since usually when people figure out my profession here they don't like to visit," he continues in an almost mind reading sense. "It's fine though, you can come in and meet my cousins".

"Oh no, if you have family over I can wait and talk later," Mio says in embarrassed surprise, waving her hands in front of her face. She was not expecting him to have anyone over, he seemed like the loner type. "I can't interrupt something like that, we can talk another time. I'm free the rest of this weekend".

"Oh alright, I'm free most of this weekend," he says thinking quickly. Luckily for him, it seemed like tomorrow's practice was the only obligation he had at the moment. He quickly pulls out a scrap of paper and pen from his pocket and scribbles down his number. He hands it to her saying, "Either you can call me if that is what you are more comfortable with or I'll come knock on your door later tonight alright"?

"That will be fine, thank you," she says quickly taking the paper and bolting quickly in her door. She wasn't sure why she was embarrassed, they hardly ever talked.

Yakumo stands in the doorway for a second, digesting what had just happened so quickly. It was a surprise alright, life gave him one every now and then. When he came back to the help Kasumi with the chicken, both she and Takaharu are staring at him with quite obvious smirks. Seems subtlety was not on the menu for these two when it came to discussing his interactions with certain women. "A peep out of either of you and I will make sure you magically get food poisoning," was the grumpy comment to come out of his mouth. No surprise that the two immediately began to laugh at his statement, confusing Nagi and Fuuka who had been previously glued to the TV.

**Hey, I finally finished this chapter after who knows how long. Anyhow, school's out for me so I can probably upload a little more frequently now. Probably will finish one or two old projects finally. Anyhow, that's a wrap on this chapter. I didn't write a lot on the action of this game because it was not one that I felt was super important, but was one that was still needed to be written in some detail. Anyhow, cya soon.**


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